Addressing candidate’s lawfare threats against our chairman

I always try to put convention drama to rest following what can often be contentious and divisive events, but for the purposes of freedom of speech, this issue has to be addressed.

I am reaching out to address recent lawfare threats that have been made against me by Monica Yatooma, former Secretary of State candidate and Republican precinct delegate.

In her recent video published on social media, I was accused of making false statements and attacks against Monica. Monica also is calling for my removal from the Republican Party. As a duly-elected precinct delegate myself, this would be in violation of state law.

Additionally, the First Amendment of the Constitution makes it clear that criticism of public officials is protected speech. Supreme Court cases such as New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, Garrison v. Louisiana and Monitor Patriot Co. v. Roy have made it abundantly clear that it is a core fundamental right to levy criticism toward those in public office and seeking public office.

Also, Michigan has strict laws against what are known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Political Participation (SLAPP). SLAPPs are an infamous lawfare tactic used to punish and stifle dissent. Any lawsuit filed against me over claims I made would clearly represent a SLAPP, as I will now demonstrate.

Addressing the Claim

Monica has threatened lawfare against me over my claim that she employed Democrat infiltrator Nora Matti to run operations for her nonprofit, then lied about it to delegates.

When confronted about her association, Monica said the following:

After it was demonstrated that Nora Matti ran Monica’s nonprofit group and that the two in fact were "close," I asked Monica several questions that she refused to answer. Several text message blasts (none of which were sent by me) went out to delegates detailing Nora and Monica’s close association.

It is worth noting that Nora Matti is not like Robert F Kennedy Jr or Tulsi Gabbard — Democrats who authentically got on board with MAGA. Those types of people should be embraced wholeheartedly.

However, Nora Matti REMAINED a Democrat organizer even as she ran operations for Monica’s nonprofit. She organized the far-left Young Democrats “Future Slate” in 2023 after she came into contact with Monica.

As a matter of fact, Nora Matti posted images of her political organizing operations with Democrats on her personal social media account in October 2024, at the same time she was overseeing door-knocking operations (and the data) for Republican campaigns through Monica’s nonprofit.

In those pictures of Nora's fellow Democrat organizers, one can be seen wearing a sweater that says "Vote because Project 2025 is Scary."

This proves Nora Matti remained a Democrat organizer well after Monica hired her to manage operations for her nonprofit.

There is more I could get into but that is the crux of the situation. I also want to make it abundantly clear that I want to run no one out of the Republican Party due to personality disputes. We need all hands on deck heading into the midterms. We need to ensure that the strongest conservatives and constitutionalists are on the ballot to motivate voters to show up.

Much of my work is geared toward appealing to independents and young people in order to broaden the Republican coalition. That is why I have been tabling for MAHA Michigan, recruiting candidates and delegates at natural health events, and keeping a continuous focus on the plight of those ensnared in the Jan 6 fed-surrection and Whitmer kidnapping hoax — creating further awareness of the depths of corruption within our government.

The idea that we need to remove certain Republicans, disenfranchise them, toss them from the party, marginalize them and shrink the big tent is a foolish one and it is pushed by power seekers who care more about preserving their perceived status within the party than growing the movement and winning. And it also underscores the necessity for the Michigan Republican Party to affirm delegates’ rights.

This will be the final time I address this matter publicly. I look forward to putting any and all petty drama to bed and working to get constitutional conservatives elected in the midterms.

Onward and upward for Liberty!

Your friend,

Shane Trejo GNP Chairman